This invention relates generally to the field of gymnastic exercise and equipment therefore, and more particularly to a system, apparatus and method for performing gymnastic exercises comprising the lifting of heavy weights through a limited range of motion safely and effectively.
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Exercise and health go hand in hand. Man has known the health benefits of exercise and has learned to exploit those benefits over many, many years. Indeed, exercise has become synonymous with a healthy lifestyle. Some health benefits are well documented, others are not as well understood.
Advances in physiological studies and technology have led to advanced and evolving exercising techniques. Most of the advances are subtle, and therefore accepted, and those that are not, are often thought to be radical, harmful, or useless. Such evolutionary advances in exercising techniques manifest themselves in many ways: world class athletes are better than ever, heart attack victims are recovering and doing so more quickly and able to resume normal lifestyles, and people who exercise claim to just plain feel better or have more energy.
For many many years, men and women have used weight training for building strength, increasing endurance, body building, and athletic training. Weight training has also been used for flexibility conditioning. Variations in weights and number of repetitions of particular exercises can tailor an individual""s weight training to achieve specific goals. The duration of workouts and the frequency of those workouts may also be varied to achieve desired goals. Variations in the range of motion can help strike a balance between strength and flexibility, again tailored to the desired results of the individuals. Examples of medical applications for weight training are also abundant.
The typical exercise regimen requires that an individual dedicate a significant amount of time and energy to achieve results, often building up to a certain frequency of workouts. The buildup to a maximum lifting capability is also often slow and tedious. The slowness of achieving results, along with the number of workouts per week required to achieve those results, can and often does hurt an individual""s motivation to continue. If and when results are achieved, simply continuing to maintain those gains requires virtually the same investment of time and energy. The inventor of the present application is not aware of a field of exercise in which an individual is able to reduce the amount of time and frequency of workouts as you progress to achieve and maintain optimum body conditioning.
Moreover, typical weight training regimens, regardless of whether desired results include bulk, strength, flexibility, or a combination thereof, focus on working muscles through their fill range of motion. By way of example, as known by those skilled in the art, one form of bench press exercises requires an individual to lift a bar by extending the arms straight in the air while laying on his/her back, with the bar handle starting from just above the chest, and then returning the bar back to its original position. Another form of bench press exercise has the starting position of the bar at a height consistent with fully extended arms, and then lowering the bar to just above chest level and then raising it back to its original level. Either method requires that the muscles in the arms be worked through a full range of motion. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, other exercises, including but not limited to, the dead lift, clean and jerk, squats, and curls similarly require a full range of motion for maximum benefit.
From time to time advances in exercise techniques are revolutionary and not evolutionary. The present invention is such a revolutionary change. The present invention teaches away from the standard and accepted techniques for weight training to achieve not only the desired results, but truly fascinating and unexpected results. Physically, the results are manifested by individuals being able to lift extraordinary amount of weights using the techniques and apparatus of the present invention. Moreover, individuals are able to rapidly progress to the point of being able to lift their personal maximum amounts of weight sooner than in traditional weight lifting methods. Mentally and emotionally, the results of weight training according to the present invention are also unexpected and unfortunately, scientifically undocumentable by the inventor at this time. Nonetheless, the mental and emotional results are the subject of individual anecdotal testimony about the personal benefits achieved by individuals in that regard, and in fact, it is the belief of the inventor that the techniques and apparatus of the present invention may ultimately find an accepted place among alternative medicine practices.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system, method and apparatus for improved weight training techniques. It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a system for weight training that allows continued progression quickly while reducing the frequency of workouts over time. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a system which permits the lifting of extremely heavy weights, much more than traditional weight lifting exercises, through a relatively limited range of motion. Finally, another object of the invention is to provide an exercise system where over time a person""s energy level increases and which may possibly be used for alternative medical treatment.
Some advantages of the system will be readily apparent to an individual user, others may be more subtle and less measurable. For example, an individual user will be able to lift more weight than through traditional weight lifting exercises and be able to achieve intermediate maximum plateaus more quickly. Furthermore, the user will be able to achieve results without the traditional muscle or joint soreness associated with traditional weight lifting techniques. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the limited number of users who have worked through the system and method of the present invention have achieved greater energy levels and increased their ability to focus in other areas of their life, while yet others have enjoyed medicinal benefits of the weight training exercises. Finally, an additional advantage is that the method is safe and reliable. Because of the extreme amounts of weight involved, should a user be unable to practice the acceptable technique required to lift the weights or add more weight than can be lifted, the weights simply will not budge, thereby reducing the risk of injury.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled the art or upon examination of the following detailed description or may be learned by practice of the invention. The detailed description shows the preferred embodiment of the invention by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.
The present invention is directed to a weight lifting system having a plurality of weighted disks, with each disk having an aperture in its center. A barbell receives the aperture of at least one of the weighted disks on each end and a hoisting belt connected to the barbell is provided. The weight lifting system further includes a connecting star having an aperture sized to fit around the barbell and wherein the hoisting belt is connected to the barbell using the connecting star and a connecting bar. The weight lifting system further provides that the connecting star has a plurality of various sized loops wherein the belt has a connecting bar sized to fit within those loops. A belt for lifting a barbell is provided wherein the belt has a flat portion and a connecting structure attached to each of those ends. The present invention also provides a method for lifting a barbell using a belt including the steps of connecting the belt to the barbell and the lifting the belt. The belt is placed over the lower back and the lifting step is performed using a limited range of motion.